Even the biggest project starts with one little ring.

Entries tagged with larp

I had a pretty meh Moot1. We arrived pretty timely, but only just before time in, I found out I didn't have the big box o'Ssussun with me, which holds most of that character's outfit (wig, facepaint, costume). We ended up going back and sleeping at home.

On Saturday, I was time in just after Time In was called. I could have been dressed sooner, but my facepaint had gone crumbly and Quee was taking his sweet time so I couldn't borrow his sooner. Play was pretty good on this day, with me being told I was no longer Head Spiritualist of my Faction, being promoted to Mistress of Novices of the priest guild and deciding to forgive Aurian for literally stabbing me in the back at the Summoning. At night, we tried to get an artefact (an anti-vengeful spirit beacon) working again with a few tweaks so it would not keep them at bay, but put them to rest. This didn't go exactly according to plan, but we did get a sign from Luna, so the dead at least would supposedly rest in peace.

High point of the evening was a small bit of play started by another player though.player: Argh! I can't stand it...too much, must stop it! *holybolts self, drops dead*me: NOBODY DIES ON MY BLOODY WATCH *heal*player: *groans*me: Why were you trying to kill yourself?player: I wasn't...me: Wait, don't tell me, you're learning how to do holybolts?player: Yes.me: Ah.

After that, things kind of petered out and I opted to go to bed. Of course, when my head hit the pillow, I could hear the sounds of larp battle coming from the field (sharpsharpsharpsharpsharpsharpFATALsharpsharpCRUSH). Somehow, just around my night dip moment, there's never anything to keep me going and things only start up again when I'm in bed.

On Sunday, I was actually in time for morning prayer and I arranged some more things within the guild. When things started looking bad for the world we were on (with the maelstrom coming and all), we decided to *shock* leave, something game operating division hadn't thought of (rule#1, any plot you have will be blown up by the players). As a consequence, leaving and getting back took forever. We did have a nice scene where we found out the portal had gone mail slot shaped and shrunk to a size where only a slim person on his back could fit through. So, after checking first if a piece of parchment would go in and come out intact, that's exactly what we did. Aras Rift of Gargoyle was the very first person to be sent by Vortex Very Long Distance Package Post. He was joined shortly by his sword and a catperson who was also very slim. Then the portal was pulled wider and we all went through.

After that, we waited again and a lot of people felt like we were done. We were told there was still something coming though, and after an age and a half, there was the endbattle. It was, as usual, too long, too hot and too full of mass effects. I ended up getting hit by a spell and saw myself forced to attack Twi's character because he was standing between me and Light. Also whacked some Lighters before they got me though. They, the prejudiced bastards, declined to heal me and I was eventually healed by a healer of Metal on request of her clanswoman, who knew me from the priest guild.

Then I could choose: soup or more battle. I opted for soup and skipped the Time Out muster in favour of it too. I brought my face back to a more or less unpainted state (with the eyeliner look typical of a recently cleaned up black elf), helped to pack up our things, checked out and then left. I slept in the car, had some stuff to eat and then slept again in my own bed.

Between day 1 being ruined by me and day 3 by game operating division, I didn't have the greatest of events. I hope the Summoning in July will be better, but I'm seriously considering skipping the endbattle from now on.

On Friday, I went to play at the first Lextalionis larp. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was looking forward to it and maybe I was just a little bit nervous. We didn't end up starting the game until midnight-ish and played on until five or six. I had fun, but already I was struggling to stay awake, not being much of a night owl to begin with. I slept pretty well in spite of all the snoring going on around me, but the rest of the day I felt pretty tired. I was happy I'd be going home early on Saturday night, as I was pretty certain I wouldn't be able to take another night of staying up until dawn. I ended the second night with a piece of emo-play ending in the death of my character. It was nice being able to play all these deep emotions without the regrets of losing a character you've played for a while. I find it strangely cathartic to do something with lots of yelling and crying, I think the things that are the most fun to play are the bits that look a bit soapish if you're just watching:) I just hope I didn't end up annoying anyone with my actions, but I had great fun interacting with my player/npc party. I'll post an IC account later.

Twilight picked me up just after I was done and when we came home, he made me some nice tea before we turned off the lights. The alarm clock woke us at six (as we later found out, this was actually seven but we completely forgot about daylight savings). We grabbed our merchandise and tools and drove off to Limburg, where there was a Celtic fair with a medieval theme at Limbricht castle. It turned out the medieval varnish was rather thin, with the Scapreel living history people providing most of it amongst some bric a bac stalls and wagonloads of tarot readers and 'mediums'. Fortunately, Mead&More was there too and we had a nice talk with them and stocked up on mead. We also talked to the Scapreel maille maker and that was great fun too. Apart from that, and maybe because there were so few really nice merchants, we sold pretty well. It was a good day, with one stray larper spending 100 euri on cloak clasps, and if all the custom requests we've had come through, it will have been a great day financially. It was good to be outside of the urban area where these things are usually held and I think I made some contacts I otherwise wouldn't have made, so all in all, it was worth the trouble getting there.

I went to the yearly Celebration of the Elements larp event and played a different character just for the day. I love my little Ssu dearly, but the role comes with lots of black facepaint that takes about a week to completely clean off again. I'm just not going through all that trouble for a one day event.

Enter Inseli Sila, a talented apprentice air mage. I wrote a background for her far beyond what would be needed just for the day. I really prefer knowing more about a character than what's absolutely necessary, really. I played her as someone who had been rebellious in the past but decided to feign complete obedience to reach her goals faster. She was entrusted to carry the Air Mistress' staff quite often, and was developing a bit of an addiction to holding it, and was starting to desire owning it and being the new high water mage.

I quite enjoyed playing her, even though the one who played the full mage is not naturally a leader and was at first a little lost as to what to do with me. She liked it in the end though, and realised she was missing something after time out...something me-shaped at her right shoulder.

I was absolutely knackered in the end though, while everyone was recalling the best moments and saying goodbye, all I wanted was to go home and get in a solid night's sleep. I felt fine most of the day, but suddenly I felt completely drained, becoming irritable and restless. Twi and Fri wanted to eat with some of the other mages, and I didn't want to spoil their fun, so at first I told them to just go ahead with it. But as things stretched longer, plans started to get more vague and my restraint finally failed, we just went home. I was crying for no reason at all (Fri tried to analyse the situation...the worst thing to do in a situation like that, but he was just trying to help) and just didn't want to talk or do anything. When we came home, we had some pizza and watched ' Rome', and after that, Fri went home and we grabbed some much needed shut-eye.

I feel like I should go to bed but I just got up...am v. happy though, so it's just the usual post-larp feeling. This morning, I couldn't sit still (probably as a side effect of walking around the Vortex one time too many) and paced around the living room a bit before I calmed down enough to sit down and do my daily 'net stuff.

The Summoning...on Thursday we arrived (by car, w00t!) around fourish and put up the tent. Found out it's absolutely huge, but a bit difficult to put up even with two people. I ate in the tavern with half of Twi's player group and then helped out at the infodesk until I went to bed.

I was IC at time in, which has to be a first. We were lead through a portal, and then found out that 1: the pentagon was a pentagon again, while we were expecting a triangle and 2: a wall had been built around it, and it was held by orcs and assorted bad guys. We managed to get it back eventually, but the origins of the stones we weren't expecting to see were still a mystery. To make things even more interesting, there were ten curved stones arranged around the pentagon and one more in the pentagon. As things progressed, we found out that nasties arrived every time a Summoning succeeded and that they were connected with the stones. These stones became my pet project, mostly because they seemed important but nobody cared much about them. And lo!, there was much badgering of mages, priests and healers and much prodding and also poking of the stones by elemental and spiritual means, and one memorable healing attempt. Also, I found out I can make holy water and proceeded to make buckets of the stuff. It's amazing how people who are never lost for words are baffled when you ask them if they have a bucket you can borrow, or seven.

The plot mostly included us being attacked by various meanies (although there was a method to the madness, for a change). Apart from that, I have a few personal highlights. The first was the ritual in the grove to sever Selarit's bond with the Essence of Murder and all that followed, especially when it started raining afterwards and when I helped him back into his battle gear. I refused to say goodbye before the ritual and I was proven right, but only barely. I really went all out on this, crying, running, praying, nearly gettting strangled, cursing Selarit back to life, telling him I told him so and slapping him in the face for being such an idiot. I even yelled at an innocent bystander who didn't get out of the way fast enough. I'm afraid Dusk Elves have more in common with the Drow than they like to admit and it shows in times of distress. I also learned that you can say "Youillbegottensonofagelatinousblob" without running out of breath if you're upset enough.

My second highlight would have to be the birth of Seraph's child. We had to smuggle her out of the camp and create a portal to get her off the Vortex, and oh, did I mention the angry mob outside the gates? Emotions were tense even after we safely left the Vortex and the child was born, but a few well-chosen spells turned anxiety into relief. The child was human, not evil, not divine and perfectly healthy. Seraph chose the names Dektai Sephiroth and then retired to rest. All the men were asked to leave, and Seraph asked me to go as well and bring the good news to the Vortex.

Then there was the unexpected, but nice bit where I helped a wood elf cursed to turn into a drow elf after he was decursed. He was slowly getting less dark, but his connection with his deity had been severed and he would be torn into bits by all gods claiming him the minute he left the altar. I temporarily claimed him for the Dark Maiden so he was free to move and to choose a deity.

My biggest d'oh!-moment was when I was trying to remove some goo from my hands, first by wiping, then by spells, when someone suggested I wash them. Which eventually worked. That was embarrassing, but ultimately instrumental in figuring out what to do with the curved stones.

There were some things I didn't like, like the fact that there was no bin in the make up section. Then there were some things that happened in downtime, where nobody could influence them. In the end battle, I got hit by a huge mace, and I was left feeling pretty sick and with a bruised boob. Not nice, and I think I remember grabbing that person and yelling "Pull your blows, you bastard!" in his ear before I had to sit down (I think club type weapons are inherently unsafe once they get big/long enough because it is hard to control them with most of the weight in the tip). I missed the last bit of the end battle because the nausea from the blow and the heat of the sun got to me, and I retired to the shade with a bottle of water.

Over all, this is the Sum where I spent more time in Leviathan than in my own faction and definitely the one where Ssu found out how to be assertive (well, most of the time anyway).